22 Comments

I'm double checking for you. I was under the impression that it was only PCIe 2.0 by virtue of a lack of PCIe 3.0 drives but still PCIe 3.0 capable due to CPU lanes rather than PCH lanes. I'm sure I asked this question during my tour; I either remembered what I hoped, or what I heard, given the whirlwind of meetings that week. I'll update when I get an answer back.Reply

I got a response: PCIe version not yet confirmed. Device is due out Q3, and they have time to choose either way. If you have a preference, note it here: I'm sure ASUS will be looking.

PCIe 3.0 x4 will reduce the main GPU slot to PCIe 3.0 x8, but in my testing at 1080p gaming, frame rates drop less than 1%.PCIe 2.0 x4 will give a full 16 lanes to the GPU, but might restrict some of the lane allocations for extra functionality. This effect is lessened by using a mITX board because there is less space for the extra functionality so the designers are restricted in what they can do.Reply

I don't have a preference as I have a z77 and not compelled to upgrade until broadwell or beyond. If I was ASUS I would stick to PCIE 2.0 because: A) No current M.2 drives with gen3 B) PCIE 16X 3.0 might be more important in future video cards and is a more likely upgrade for a gaming motherboard.Reply

Awesome, thanks for taking the time to ask. IMO, on the Mini-ITX boards, I am hoping that the combo card is 4x PCIe 3.0 from the CPU. Since the Mobo only has one PCIe slot for graphics, thus SLI or Crossfire is not even an option, PCIe 8x is more than enough so satisfy the requirement of even a top end GPU. I would rather lose the 1% FPS going from 16x to 8x and gain the added storage speed that can be brought with M.2 over 4x PCIe 3.0.Reply

I would vote for PCIe 3.0. Waiting for drives to catch up is better than waiting for drives to be the ones that start. The faster the rest of the ecosystem is ready for a new technology, the faster we get the new technology. It would be nice if they could implement a BIOS feature to switch it from 2.0 to 3.0 (not sure if that is even possible) so that way we have the flexibility to upgrade in the future, or customize our current setup by deciding if we want to give the mPCIe device 3.0 bandwidth and sacrifice slight GPU performance, or give the device 2.0 bandwidth and keep the performance.

In the end, I think SSD's need more attention than GPU's right now.Reply

I saw my MB up there in the Server section. The Z97-WS is a really nice board, but I have already had trouble with it. The DIMM slots 3 and 4 died on me after 10 days.

I understand that issues like this do come up once in a while. (I'm the admin of a server software test lab. As reliable as server hardware is, I still have about a quarter of my time taken up replacing defective parts.) Still, Asus's support system is a bit lacking when things do go bad. I started this ticket last Thursday, and they still haven't shipped my replacement board. The hoops I had to jump through took me until yesterday to get done, and they say they'll ship it within 48 hours. It looks like I probably won't have a replacement in time for the weekend. This has discouraged me from buying any of their server line for my employer. It just takes too long to get things swapped, specifically because their support system is flawed. Reply

It would be nice if ASUS initially offered a version of the GR8 without Windows 8 to hit a lower price point. I would rather have a Ubuntu + Steam (with in home streaming) + XMBC combo. More functionality than SteamOS and available now. Also, I hope the included Windows 8 is the Pro version otherwise it's another $100 to add WMC with the basic edition.Reply

surprised there are not more UHD and 4k models.Not everyone wants a 30" monitor on their desk. I'm hoping to see more 24" UHD or 4K displays. Sure there is the Dell, but I kind of hate how Dells current industrial design looks with those awkward stands. Reply

Wasn´t the MeMO Pad 8 going to be out with the Atom Z3580 and have a FullHD panel?From their own press releas:http://press.asus.com/PressReleases/p/ASUS-Present...I guess there are two models, the ME181C and the ME581CL, but I find terribly confusing that they call them both MeMO Pad 8Reply

Any idea when and if Asus will offer to market a 24 inch monitor with G-sync? Why is Asus siting on G-sync? Can they give the buying community a firm date of when they will offer a monitor with G-sync? I have held my next purchase of a gaming monitor for over a year now. If all they are going to do is talk about G-sync and show mock-up monitors without ever coming to market with a product, I will purchase my second choice. Reply

Hopefully the GR8 has a desktop cpu. If they are using desktop cpu parts, it would be nice if they have i5 and i7 T-Models as the cpu options (lowest is 35W TDP).

I just hope that the custom cooling for the cpu isn't that of a notebook cpu cooler as they did market this as being able to run quietly (small size and low noise are the high points for me). Overall, this custom-built PC has a lot of good potential as a good lan, media, and streaming pc. Reply